


tried and true

by corsica



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: Gen, karna learning big sibling tricks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:54:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28733034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corsica/pseuds/corsica
Summary: Karna wishes to move towards a more conventional relationship with his brother. The advice Ritsuka gives him is not that.
Relationships: Arjuna | Archer & Karna | Lancer of Red
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	tried and true

**Author's Note:**

> takes place, as is standard, after arjuna's second interlude

He wasn't sure what changed in Arjuna that made him less...prickly, regarding their relationship, but there was little he could find to complain about. They were still not even close to being at the point their mother would've wanted them to be, but being able to approach Arjuna now without feeling an immediate increase of tension in the air was at least an improvement. They could even, in an atmosphere of extreme awkwardness, eat together now.

Still, things could be better, and it was occasionally difficult to not feel a little wistful whenever he saw Gawain and Mordred have such positive interactions.

...But the solution Ritsuka gave him, was...

“I'm...not sure how well something like that would work on him.”

She had stopped him in the hallway, evidently able to tell that something was the matter with him (...after they had done their handshake). When he shared his concerns with her, she had nodded sympathetically and told him to “try something that older siblings she knew always did to their younger ones” if he was looking for ways to have a more conventional relationship with his brother.

“Trust me on this; I was friends with people with little brothers and sisters and it always seemed to work on them. A while back I was talking to Ryougi, and the topic of siblings came up, and she even said her older brother used it on her all the time and it _always_ worked. She said it would probably still work, if he was here!”

The doubt was obvious on his face even as she reassured him.

“There's no harm done in giving it a shot, right?” one of her arms came uncrossed from against her chest, her hand gesturing outward, “I mean...it probably won't cause things to go back to square one.”

“Perhaps, but...” he looked off to the side, unable to find the words.

“Just try it if you get the chance, and if it doesn't work, then it doesn't work. At least you'll know.”

Karna...kept it in mind, at the very least. Even though it was advice from his Master, it felt far too ridiculous to work, and even then, he never found a chance to “test” it.

Until recently.

Lunch was being served, and he brought his food over to where Ritsuka was sitting next to his brother; he sat down across from the two of them. Arjuna bristled, briefly, and paused in his conversation with Ritsuka, before continuing where he left off as if nothing had happened. As he prepared to start eating, he realized he had neglected to get a fork.

“...ah.”

The two looked towards him, and Ritsuka tilted her head curiously, “What's up?”

“It seems I forgot to get silverware for myself.”

“That was careless of you,” Arjuna said plainly, “The line is short. Just go and get it.”

Karna paused. He...knew what he _needed_ to say, but he didn't feel comfortable _saying_ it. Luckily, Ritsuka noticed his hesitation, and extended a much-needed olive branch.

“Why don't you get it for him?” she looked at Arjuna casually, elbow on the table, chin in her hand, “It'd be awfully nice of you.”

“What? No. Don't be ridiculous.”

Karna looked at his younger brother. There was absolutely no way this was going to work.

“I'll...time you.”

Arjuna scoffed, and slumped back against his seat, “That's—You _cannot_ be...Do you _really_ think...” he paused in his light, sardonic laughter, straightening out his posture; Arjuna leaned forward, and clasped his hands together on the table, “...Are you being serious?”

Karna nodded.

Arjuna went quiet. His eyes moved up to glance up at the clock hanging in the cafeteria, watching as the second hand ticked by. He stayed seated for just a few more seconds, before scrambling up and out of his chair and sprinting like an Olympian towards the lunch line.

Ritsuka snorted, biting down on her lower lip to try and stifle her incessant giggling. Karna stared down at the table in nothing less than utter disbelief.

“...I...” Karna's voice was barely above a whisper, still in shock, “...I can't believe that worked.”

“Keep an eye on the clock,” Ritsuka reminded him, amused, “It's been ten seconds already.”

“Oh. Right.”

It was barely twenty seconds before Arjuna came back, panting, and he slammed the fork down on the table by Karna, making several people in the surrounding vicinity jump in surprise.

“How long?”

“20 seconds.”

He looked _awfully_ proud of himself as he sat back down, folding both his arms over his chest and one of his legs over the other.

“Now do you see how much faster I am than you?” he had his chin raised high, “Next time, I will be even quicker.”

 _'Your Agility is one rank lower than mine,'_ Karna thought, but wisely declined to mention it.

“It was impressive.”

Arjuna huffed, “Of course it was.”

As the mood began to revert to how it had been, Karna silently, somewhat numbly, reached for his fork and began to eat; out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ritsuka looking at him with a smug expression on her face. Without Arjuna seeing, she mouthed to him the words “I told you so”.


End file.
